Virginia governor: McDonnell, McAuliffe peldge to work together during transition

RICHMOND — It's time for Virginia's politicians to chill, Gov. Bob McDonnell and Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe said after an hourlong lunch at the Governor's Mansion.

At their meal, just 36 hours after McAuliffe's election in a bitterly fought campaign, the two focused on budget issues, transportation and Medicaid expansion and discussed the transition of state government from the leadership of Republican McDonnell to Democrat McAuliffe.

Both agreed on the top priority for now: "We need to be turning down the political rhetoric … finding ways to get Republicans and Democrats working together," McDonnell said.

McDonnell invited McAuliffe to the lunch the night of the election, to share lessons learned after his own transition and during his four years in office.

"Bob McDonnell is a class act, and he loves the commonwealth of Virginia" McAuliffe said.

McAuliffe pledged to work in a bipartisan, mainstream way, saying he too hoped Democrats and Republicans alike will "tone down the rhetoric." He said he intends to meet with every Republican member of the state Senate and House of Delegates before inauguration day in January.

He and Cuccinelli have not spoken yet, however.

"We've had a hard-fought election, emotions are still raw," McAuliffe said.

"I want to find consensus — we've got to do this in a bipartisan way," he said. "I know numbers and I know what the General Assembly's are."

The House is dominated by Republicans. Two special elections must be held before control of the Senate is decided. One will replace Democratic Sen. Ralph Northam, who was elected lieutenant governor on Tuesday. The other will replace whoever eventually wins the race for attorney general — either Democratic Sen. Mark Herring or Republican Sen. Mark Obenshain.

McAuliffe said he felt his top priorities – job growth and diversifying the state economy – were goals Republican legislators shared.

And he said the top lesson from the election is that voters are "tired of things not getting done — they want folks to work together."

McDonnell said his top budget officials would meet with McAuliffe and his staff regularly during the transition. McDonnell's finance secretary, Ric Brown is a holdover from McDonnell's predecessor, Democrat Tim Kaine.

McDonnell will draft the budget that goes to the General Assembly next month, while McAuliffe will have to propose any amendments within days of taking office.

The two pledged to work together for a smooth transition.

"We intend to be 110 percent cooperative," McDonnell said, adding that his top staff and McAuliffe's had already started meeting and that McAuliffe had already had his first briefing on the budget.

"This is going to be probably the smoothest transition we have ever seen," McAuliffe said.

"I saw the transition office, lots of empty desks, no papers on them," he said. "There's a lot of work to do."